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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
This is the 4th book I've read in the past few months with a foolish young female narrator who drove me crazy with her poor choices and judgmental attitude towards others.
Perhaps these characters bother me because they remind me of myself at their age. Nevertheless, they make for a trying read.
2 1/2 stars
It's a shame, because some of the other characters are likeable and dynamic (Belle and Mrs. Reed).
Perhaps these characters bother me because they remind me of myself at their age. Nevertheless, they make for a trying read.
2 1/2 stars
It's a shame, because some of the other characters are likeable and dynamic (Belle and Mrs. Reed).
Premium quality chick lit: Tracy Chevalier's The Last Runaway falls somewhere between old school historical romance (Jean Plaidy, Georgette Heyer) and modern Marian Keyes/Louise Bagshawe airport authoress fare. Honor Bright (a phrase I happened upon in the Wodehouse I'm currently reading by spooky coincidence) is an unusually adventurous Quaker, who fetches up in the Ohio of 1850, where she stumbles upon the Underground Railroad, the secret evasion line for runaway slaves fleeing to Canada.
This is an important phase in American history - the run up to and transitional phase into the American Civil War and the emancipation of slaves. Yet for some reason it features more as an adjunct, an incidental, to the story of Honor, a very modern heroine who cares passionately about the welfare of slaves whilst doing very little, if we're honest, to assist them proactively. Oh she tries, but weighted down by the demands of her newly acquired in-laws, and the well-meaning but ultimately hypocritical and flawed religious community she lives in, her interventions are mostly accidental, minor, or actually work against the people she professes to help.
The real aid and assistance is given by much more flawed characters - specifically Belle Mills the feisty milliner (yes, really) and Mrs Reed, a runaway slave herself. Even Tom the carter is of more practical help, minor and unfleshed out though he is.
What's frustrating is that there are numerous characters that rise and fall through the novel and whose stories, had they been fleshed out in a less cursory way, would have made riveting reading. Why, for instance, did Belle become involved with the runaways? And why did her brother Donovan (surely written with Colin Farrell in mind for the movie version) go the opposite route, becoming a slave catcher? It's alluded to briefly but there's no sort of satisfactory explanation. Mrs Reed's back story emerges only as she is menaced by Donovan in the busy denouement, yet this informs her entire motivation, and needed more exposition. As do the involvement of Tom and others who helped, as well as the reasoning of the Quakers who should have opposed the law but didn't.
That said, the narrative rattles along at a great pace, and I couldn't help but warm to Honor, a fish out of water, the timid Dorset girl who on impulse sought adventure in an uncharacteristically impulsive way, and whose timidity and indecision is all too human. I'm not quite sure of the quilting motif - I learned more about this underappreciated craft form just as The Last Runaway also educated me about the Underground Railway, but its role as a metaphor for change vs conservatism doesn't quite gel. But taken as a good holiday read, it entertains, informs and educates reasonably enough.
This is an important phase in American history - the run up to and transitional phase into the American Civil War and the emancipation of slaves. Yet for some reason it features more as an adjunct, an incidental, to the story of Honor, a very modern heroine who cares passionately about the welfare of slaves whilst doing very little, if we're honest, to assist them proactively. Oh she tries, but weighted down by the demands of her newly acquired in-laws, and the well-meaning but ultimately hypocritical and flawed religious community she lives in, her interventions are mostly accidental, minor, or actually work against the people she professes to help.
The real aid and assistance is given by much more flawed characters - specifically Belle Mills the feisty milliner (yes, really) and Mrs Reed, a runaway slave herself. Even Tom the carter is of more practical help, minor and unfleshed out though he is.
What's frustrating is that there are numerous characters that rise and fall through the novel and whose stories, had they been fleshed out in a less cursory way, would have made riveting reading. Why, for instance, did Belle become involved with the runaways? And why did her brother Donovan (surely written with Colin Farrell in mind for the movie version) go the opposite route, becoming a slave catcher? It's alluded to briefly but there's no sort of satisfactory explanation. Mrs Reed's back story emerges only as she is menaced by Donovan in the busy denouement, yet this informs her entire motivation, and needed more exposition. As do the involvement of Tom and others who helped, as well as the reasoning of the Quakers who should have opposed the law but didn't.
That said, the narrative rattles along at a great pace, and I couldn't help but warm to Honor, a fish out of water, the timid Dorset girl who on impulse sought adventure in an uncharacteristically impulsive way, and whose timidity and indecision is all too human. I'm not quite sure of the quilting motif - I learned more about this underappreciated craft form just as The Last Runaway also educated me about the Underground Railway, but its role as a metaphor for change vs conservatism doesn't quite gel. But taken as a good holiday read, it entertains, informs and educates reasonably enough.
Learn about Quacker life with this historical fiction. Enjoyed it. Good audio!
Three and a half stars for a book which explores a different side of the underground railway. Honor Bright comes to Ohio from Dorset, a Quaker with strong feelings about slavery. Through her we get to experience Ohio during the slavery era from the viewpoint of an outsider who discovers that the slavery issue, even for Quakers, is not simple. I enjoyed the setting, some of the characters were endearing, but the romantic elements did not sit right for me, and perhaps the reserved, quiet nature of the Quaker community kept me from caring too much for them. Still, an enjoyable story about fitting in and choosing what is right, even when it's hard.
A friend lent me this book on the basis that I love Daphne du Maurier's books, specifically Jamaica Inn. She wasn't wrong - I really did love it - both the story and how it was written. In both books the protagonist, a young female, finds herself in a position that she wouldn't have necessarily chosen for herself. It's a beautiful and moving story about morals, principles, and the grapple of good and bad.
I also found it fascinating as it's a slice of American history I was unaware of in the mid 1850's where black slaves were running away from their slave owners and an underground network of people (many of them Quakers) were providing shelter and food on their path to freedom in Canada.
I also found it fascinating as it's a slice of American history I was unaware of in the mid 1850's where black slaves were running away from their slave owners and an underground network of people (many of them Quakers) were providing shelter and food on their path to freedom in Canada.
My first foray into reading Tracy Chevalier... a story with doing the right thing at its heart - but are you doing the right thing for the wrong reason, or the wrong thing for the right reason. There is probably nothing as polarising in 1850 America as slavery, its economic 'importance' versus its human cost. Into this world arrives Honor Bright, a young woman from a Quaker community in Dorset, who has accompanied her older sister Grace on a sea voyage so the latter can marry a recently widowed farmer in Ohio. The story is well plotted in Ohio, as this state was central to slaves from the South fleeing to North, and onwards to Canada, greatly assisted in secret by many many residents of the state, both white and coloured. The Underground Railroad as it came to be called. There is a very good section at the back of the novel giving plenty of background to the Quakers at this time in America, the underground railroad, slavery - read this first before starting the story.
Quakers are anti-slavery and honour bound to help escaping slaves. Honor finds herself caught up in helping runaway slaves, but it comes at a cost and increasing danger to her. How far will she go to help the slaves seeking her assistance, but at the same time save herself? This is such a great story, well plotted. Honor is a terrific young woman, growing from an innocent naive young thing thrust into an environment deeply alien to her, with a deep intelligence at her core, to a woman well able to take care of herself, endearing herself to many around her.
Quakers are anti-slavery and honour bound to help escaping slaves. Honor finds herself caught up in helping runaway slaves, but it comes at a cost and increasing danger to her. How far will she go to help the slaves seeking her assistance, but at the same time save herself? This is such a great story, well plotted. Honor is a terrific young woman, growing from an innocent naive young thing thrust into an environment deeply alien to her, with a deep intelligence at her core, to a woman well able to take care of herself, endearing herself to many around her.
I found this book on the "New" shelf at the library, and initially could not place the author, Tracy Chevalier (the author of The Girl With The Pearl Earring). Although both books are very different, I enjoyed Chevalier's smooth flowing writing. I was surprised that I had heard nothing of her latest book, and would highly recommend it.
This writer never disappoints me when I pick up a new story. Her background settings are always interesting and well drawn and then her characters are easy to follow on their journeys. This story has religion, love, loss, and lots of sewing (I liked the too). So many women reflected back to us from history, an excellent read.
When I first started reading The Last Runaway, it seemed strange that Honor Bright chose to accompany her sister from England to Ohio. Why would she emigrate from England without any set plan of her own? Who was living in Ohio at this time? What was going on there? Her sister’s betrothed to another Quaker from their small town. Apparently lots of Quakers moved to Ohio from North Carolina in opposition to slavery. That’s one thing I learned from the novel.
After a horrific voyage, Honor sister falls ill with yellow fever and dies on their voyage from New York to Ohio. Not knowing what else to do, Honor continues on to Faithwell as planned, making a short stopover in Wellington at the insistence of a kind woman named Belle who puts Honor to work in her milliner shop once she discovers Honor’s quilting skills. We find out much more about the colorful, outspoken Belle as her friendship with Honor gradually grows. Belle’s brother, Donovan, is a slave hunter. The two siblings couldn’t be more dissimilar. He startled and intrigued Honor when he stopped the man who’d offered to give Honor a ride to search his carriage for runaway slaves. As Honor settles in her new home, author Tracy Chevalier reveals the Underground Railroad which traversed through Ohio as slaves sought freedom far north in Canada. Many Quakers became a vital part of the Underground Railroad movement.
read full review: http://entertainmentrealm.com/2013/02/07/the-last-runaway-book-review/
After a horrific voyage, Honor sister falls ill with yellow fever and dies on their voyage from New York to Ohio. Not knowing what else to do, Honor continues on to Faithwell as planned, making a short stopover in Wellington at the insistence of a kind woman named Belle who puts Honor to work in her milliner shop once she discovers Honor’s quilting skills. We find out much more about the colorful, outspoken Belle as her friendship with Honor gradually grows. Belle’s brother, Donovan, is a slave hunter. The two siblings couldn’t be more dissimilar. He startled and intrigued Honor when he stopped the man who’d offered to give Honor a ride to search his carriage for runaway slaves. As Honor settles in her new home, author Tracy Chevalier reveals the Underground Railroad which traversed through Ohio as slaves sought freedom far north in Canada. Many Quakers became a vital part of the Underground Railroad movement.
read full review: http://entertainmentrealm.com/2013/02/07/the-last-runaway-book-review/